Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

When director Sam Raimi got the chance to make a sequel for his cult hit The Evil Dead, he came up with a brilliant plan that would ensure that the next movie was as good (if not better) than the first. Instead of using another location for his horror movie or trying to brainstorm a new plot, Raimi basically remade that first film, except this time with a bigger budget and fewer rookie-filmmaker mistakes. It’s hard to believe that the only surviving character of the first installment Ash (Bruce Campbell) would return to the woods where his friends were brutally murdered by demons and rapist trees just a few years before. That illogic helps add to the campiness of this film, which showcases Raimi’s ability to terrify the viewer and make them laugh out loud at the same time. While the first film took itself a little too seriously, Evil Dead 2 pokes fun at demon possession and evil enchantments without turning the movie into a farce. When your protagonist has a chainsaw for an arm, you know you’re in for a treat.